Saraki should allow Nigerians enact their own constitution themselves ―IYC

THE Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has urged Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki, to allow Nigerians to create their own constitution through a constituent assembly instead of speaking out of tune and context on the restructuring debate
Saraki had, on Friday at the Southern Senators’ Retreat held in Calabar, harped on unity of the country without giving consideration to the genuine demands by Nigerians for restructuring, resource control and true federalism without which the unity of the country is a mirage.

The IYC’s national president, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, Esq, in response to Saraki’s remarks on Saturday, opined that Saraki’s comment “shows his lack of knowledge on the political development of our chequered history.”

“Maybe he is trying to be economical with the truth because the region he belonged to is a beneficiary of the structural imbalance Nigeria is facing.

“There is no nexus between the unity of Nigeria and the demands for restructuring, true federalism and resource control,” he affirmed.

According to the Ijaw youth leader, ‘Restructuring never means dismemberment of Nigeria. The only consideration of which every average Nigerian including the Senate President to look at is the implication arising from the refusal of the present government to restructure the country.

“We make bold to say that restructuring, true federalism, and resource control are the only weapons that will guarantee the continuous existence of Nigeria in the midst of her challenges.

“A country cannot survive the test of time when some people are being colonised to the whims, caprices and the pleasure of some few ethnic groups.

“Sen Saraki and other ant-restructuring elements should rather consider the unity of Nigeria before they oppose the popular demands for restructuring.

“We want to draw Sen. Saraki’s attention to the Constitutional development of Nigeria. Apart from the Macpherson Constitution of 1951 and the 1957/8 constitutional conferences held in Ibadan and London which produced the 1960/3 Independent and Republican Constitutions, Nigerians have never at any time sat together to enact a law for the country.

“The reliance placed on the military-made 1999 Constitution which is the protagonist of Nigeria’s democratic growth is the greatest legislative blunder committed by the 8th National Assembly,” Oweilaemi recollected.

He reaffirmed that what Nigerians wanted is a constitution that will accommodate the interest of everybody, adding that the present political arrangement in the country could hardly guarantee the continuous corporate existence of the country.